Floating Classroom

Chattahoochee Riverkeeper offers two “floating classrooms,” one on Lake Lanier and another on West Point Lake. Together, these acclaimed environmental-education venues have successfully delivered unique and exceptional learning opportunities to more than 60,000 students and teachers.

Through these water-based learning centers, students engage in a variety of hands-on activities that incorporate STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), and which are tied to age-appropriate Georgia Standards for Excellence.

What do they learn?

Water-quality testing

Identification of freshwater plankton and wildlife

How lake water ends up flowing from faucets in homes and schools

Ways they can protect these precious water resources

Supplemental land-based watershed activities, and…

Lake history lessons

Opening Doors

Program scholarship awards make it possible for thousands of financially disadvantaged students—from Title I schools and after-school and summer programs—to participate.

See the impact Floating Classrooms have on students and our community.

Lake Lanier Aquatic Learning Center

The Lake Lanier Aquatic Learning Center (LLALC), a partnership by CRK, Elachee Nature Science Center and Hall Co. Parks and Leisure is operated out of Hall County’s River Forks Park in Gainesville. The learning center resides aboard the Chota Princess II, a 40-foot custom-built catamaran—which boasts a glass-bottom viewing well and a capacity of up to 49 passengers.

The LLALC’s curriculum is designed by Elachee Nature Science Center to be grade-level appropriate and complement classroom studies. All Elachee programs are correlated to Georgia’s Performance Standards and Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) and Gwinnett County’s Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) requirements. Elachee Nature Science Center is also Georgia’s first and metro-Atlanta’s only nature center accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

West Point Lake Floating Classroom

The West Point Lake Floating Classroom (WPLFC) program takes place aboard the Miss Sally – a 42-foot vessel certified to carry up to 44 passengers – and is the only experiential program of its kind to serve the Middle Chattahoochee region. Since launching the program in 2015, nearly 20,000 students, teachers and adults have participated in the program.

A key focus of the WPLFC program is to serve those who may not otherwise have the means to experience the program. Because of the generous support from public and private donors, we have provided more than 9,000 full scholarships to students in financial need and underserved youth participants of civic organizations. Depending on the number of outings in the year, our operating expenses are approximately $30 per participant. However, all other school and community groups benefit as well from additional donor support that allows us to subsidize program costs.

The joy our students find in the floating classroom learning experience is invaluable. I cannot begin to express how these trips may have changed the lives of our kids!

– Lara McNeirney

4th grade teacher at Sandhill Elementary School

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I wanted to say thank you for the opportunity for our students to attend your course at Lake Lanier this coming March! The students and staff are beyond excited! Midvale is a Title One school and many of our students would never be able to experience a trip to Lake Lanier. We are so grateful to be able to participate in this program!